University of North Texas Athletics
Saturday, January 3
Miami, FL
University of North Texas
at
FIU Sprint Invite
Photo by: Zach Del Bello / Mean Green Sports
UNT Has Strong Showing at FIU Sprint Invite
1/3/2026 2:41:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
MIAMI - The UNT swimming and diving program had a strong showing on Saturday in south Florida when the Mean Green battled back and forth with host FIU before being narrowly edged out at the FIU Sprint Invite, which featured a unique bracket style format for 50-yard sprints in each stroke.
In all, the Mean Green finished second out of six teams with 539 points - 32 points back of FIU and more than 200 points clear of the third-place team.
UNT was led in the 50s by a 1-2 showing in the 50 breaststroke from Mikaela Goelst and Maria Jose Sanchez Castro and a runner-up finish in the 50 butterfly by Jette Schindler, but the Mean Green proved especially formidable in the 100s, which were done in a regular race format.
Kayleigh Lovell doubled up with wins in the 100 and 200 freestyle races, Vivian Anderson won the 100 backstroke, Schindler won the 100 butterfly and Goelst won the 100 breaststroke.Â
"We had a really strong day today at FIU's Sprint Invite," head coach Brittany Roth said. "It was awesome to see the team energy strong as our team was able to get wins in the 200 Free, 100 Free, 100 Back, 100 Fly and 100 Breast. The shoot out format for the 50s was really fun, and to get Majo and Mikaela as the top 2 breaststroke heat, and Jette in top 2 heat for the 50 Fly was great. We're excited to kick off 2026 with such a strong showing, and I'm excited to build from here."
In the two diving events, the Mean Green had strong showings as Sydney Guidara won the 1-meter springboard by more than 35 points over her closest competitor, while Valeria Hernandez Meza also scored big points for the Mean Green with a seventh-place finish. In the 3-meter springboard, Guidara finished third, while Gabi Somoza notched a top-10 showing by finishing ninth.
"It was a great first meet to start the year," associate head coach/diving coach Stephanie O'Callaghan said. "It can be tough having a competition right after break and it's always an adjustment diving outside when you're not used to it, but the divers took all that in stride and had a strong meet with really high energy. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot of things to build off of in the coming weeks. We're looking forward to some great training this week before we cap the trip off with another meet."
UNT will remain in the Sunshine State and head to Boca Raton for a meet against FAU and Wagner on Friday.
In all, the Mean Green finished second out of six teams with 539 points - 32 points back of FIU and more than 200 points clear of the third-place team.
UNT was led in the 50s by a 1-2 showing in the 50 breaststroke from Mikaela Goelst and Maria Jose Sanchez Castro and a runner-up finish in the 50 butterfly by Jette Schindler, but the Mean Green proved especially formidable in the 100s, which were done in a regular race format.
Kayleigh Lovell doubled up with wins in the 100 and 200 freestyle races, Vivian Anderson won the 100 backstroke, Schindler won the 100 butterfly and Goelst won the 100 breaststroke.Â
"We had a really strong day today at FIU's Sprint Invite," head coach Brittany Roth said. "It was awesome to see the team energy strong as our team was able to get wins in the 200 Free, 100 Free, 100 Back, 100 Fly and 100 Breast. The shoot out format for the 50s was really fun, and to get Majo and Mikaela as the top 2 breaststroke heat, and Jette in top 2 heat for the 50 Fly was great. We're excited to kick off 2026 with such a strong showing, and I'm excited to build from here."
In the two diving events, the Mean Green had strong showings as Sydney Guidara won the 1-meter springboard by more than 35 points over her closest competitor, while Valeria Hernandez Meza also scored big points for the Mean Green with a seventh-place finish. In the 3-meter springboard, Guidara finished third, while Gabi Somoza notched a top-10 showing by finishing ninth.
"It was a great first meet to start the year," associate head coach/diving coach Stephanie O'Callaghan said. "It can be tough having a competition right after break and it's always an adjustment diving outside when you're not used to it, but the divers took all that in stride and had a strong meet with really high energy. There is a lot to be proud of and a lot of things to build off of in the coming weeks. We're looking forward to some great training this week before we cap the trip off with another meet."
UNT will remain in the Sunshine State and head to Boca Raton for a meet against FAU and Wagner on Friday.
Players Mentioned
Freestyle/Backstroke
/ Swimming and Diving
Breaststroke/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Diving
/ Swimming and Diving
Diving
/ Swimming and Diving
Freestyle
/ Swimming and Diving
Breaststroke/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Butterfly
/ Swimming and Diving
Diving
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